Refrigerator trays



March 26, 1957 R. E. Fnmps REFRIGERATOR TRAYS Filed Sept. 8, 19

/fvVE/v 70H ROBERT E. F/EL 0s PMUQHJ- ATTORNEY United Sme-S Patent: i O

r l 2,786,729 Ice Patented Mar. ze, 1957 1 Claim. (Cl. S12-270) This invention relates generally to a refrigerator construction, and more particularly to an improved construction for slidably supporting and covering refrigerator pans within a refrigerator cabinet, and further, to an improved method or process for manufacturing such a construction.

As is well known in the art, household refrigerators are generally provided with one -or more pans for the storage therein of food, such as fresh fruits or vegetables, These refrigerator pans are usually called crispers. These crispers must be easily removable and replaceable within a refrigerator cabinet and further, some cover means must be provided to prevent undesirable `drying out of the fresh fruits and vegetables.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide improved structure for a refrigerator crisper -fulfilling all of the requirements noted above.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an miproved method or process Ifor manufacturing a structure which will fulfill all of the requirements noted above.

A feature of the present invention is the novel molding of a plastic frame with metal inserts therein.

Further objects and features of the present invention will be apparent upon a perusal of the following specification and drawing of which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of the present invention showing the initial molding thereof;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the molded elements shown in Figure 1, properly assembled and cooperating with a cover element;

Figure 3 is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view of the structure shown in Figure 2 and taken along the lines 3--3;

Figure 4 is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view of the structure shown in Figure 2 and ltaken along the line 4-4; and

Figure 5 is a partial elevational View of a portlon of a refrigerator cabinet embodying the present invention.

The present embodiment is the preferred embodiment, but it is to be understood that changes can be made in the present embodiment by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

For a detailed description of the present invention, reference is made to the drawing. Initially, a frame member shown generally with the character 6 is formed. The frame 6 comprises four sides or side members, 10, 1-1, 12 and 13. Side 10 is formed t-o have a substantial-ly U-shaped cross-section, as can -be seen in Figure 4. Sides 11, 12 and 13 are formed to comprise two conterminous U-shaped channels substantially as shown in cross-section in Figure 3. These sides 1t), 11, 12 and 13 are formed of any plastic material well known in the art which is readily moldable and which when molded will have a good structural strength. Sides and 11 are interconnected by a metal insert 14 molded as an integral part therebetween. Sides 11 and 12 are interconnected by a metal insert 15 which is molded as an integral part therebetween. Sides 12 and 13 are interconnected by a metal insert 16 which is molded as an integral part therebetween. The metal inserts 14, 15 and 16 are formed of any material, such as steel, which may be readily flexed, and which will give good structural strength to the abovedescribed connections between the various sides.

To mold the frame 6, a single die (not shown) is used. The die is -formed to have four longitudinally spaced molding sections. Adjacent molding sections are interconnested by passageways. The metal inserts 14, 15 and `16 are each positioned within one of the passageways within the die, and the die is then filled with the plastic material required, and the molding operation is then effected. When the frame is then removed from the die, it will have an appearance substantially as shown in Figure l. Specifically, the four sides 10, 11, 12 and' 13 will be formed having the cross-sections described above, having mitered corners as can readily be seen in Figures l and 2 and further, being interconnected as a unitary assembly by the three metal inserts 14, 15 and 16.

To assemble the yframe 6, the various sides are bent through an angle of until the mitered corners coopcrate to form a substantially rectangu'larly shaped frame 6, as seen in Figure 2. The metal inserts will each be bent through an angle of 90. End 10a of the side 10 and end 13a of the side 13 will then cooperate to form the fourth corner. Before the ends 10a and 13a are joined together, a rectangular sheet of material 20, such as glass, is positioned within the channel formed in the side 10 and the upper channel formed in each of the sides 11, 12 and 13. The ends 10a and 13a may then be joined together by any connecting means 17 well known in the art. The connecting means 17 may comprise a small bracket, such as shown in Figure 2, fixedly connected between the ends 10a and 13a or, the mounting means may comprise two walls of a refrigerator cabinet. Further, connecting means 17 may take the form of a lock, such that when the frame is mounted within a refrigerator cabinet, the lock may be opened, and the side 10 or 13 may be pivoted away from the remainder of the frame to permit easy removal of the glass panel 29. Also, the glass 20 may be press fitted or cemented into the above note-d channels.

After the frame 6 has been assembled, as described above, the frame is mounted within a refrigerator cabJ inet, such as refrigerator cabinet 21 shown in Figure 5. Refrigerator cabinet 21 is provided with an inner liner 22, as is well known in the art. The frame 6 is positioned within the inner liner 22 and sides 12 and 13 thereof are secured to two of the walls of the inner liner 22. Side 11 is secured to any mounting means 23, well known in the art, for maintaining the frame 6 in proper horizontal alignment. The sides 10 and 12 can then be designated the front portion 10 and the rear portion 12, respectively.

It is intended that the structure of the present invention be used in cooperation with a refrigerator pan, such as refrigerator pan 24 shown in Figure 5. The refrigerator pan 24 is rectangularly shaped and has a length and width substantially equal to the length and width of the frame 6. The refrigerator pan 24 is further provided with a pair of iianges 25 at each side thereof along the upper marginal edges thereof. It can then be seen that the refrigerator pan 24 is slidably mountable within the inner liner 22, with the iianges 25 of the refrigerator pan 2d within the lower channels of the sides 111 and 13, and with the glass 20 positioned as a cover over the pan 24. The refrigerator pan 24 may further be provided with a flange similar to the flanges 25, mounted along the rear edge of t-he refrigerator pan 24 so that when the refrigerator pan 24 is projected within the frame 6 beneath the glass 20, the rear ange of the refrigerator pan 24 will engage the lower channel of the side or rear portion 12.

Having describedI the invention what is considered new and desired. to--be protected by Letters Patentis:

In a refrigerator drawer assembly, the combination of a refrigerator cabinet having an inner liner provided with side walls andboomwalli. a; drawer supporting traameo rectangular shape-lzwing one sidelmountedr on said liner and the opposite side supported by! an vertical leg secured to said' frame and; resting on the bottoznw'all said liner, the said frame comprising four sim molded frame members, each of said frame members; c:;om risi'ngv a molded member having a vertical' yoke' provided with a pair of inwardlyextending, integral?, parallel anges, the said lianges being rnitered from said' yoke' `to the inner edge? of said anges, and' the: said yokes eac'h including -bendable metal strip havingttwozend portions-imbedded in saidyoke andhaving a; centralf portion exposed between the; ends of each nain of, adjacent. trainer men-Koers,t to per# mit bendingol said?. exposed. portion;v the saicif4 frame members being arranged in a series; with. the metal' strips between the a-djacentfends oi thezframemembers; them-etal strips being bentl until' their imbeddedY portions extend at right ang-les to each other in eachv ease, and them'itered' edges of. the parallell angesl beingr located adjacent the mitered edgesot theV adjacent trameL member'inf each case to forml a. rectangular frame; twoy of. theV sides ofr said flange, mitered at itsV endsV and located 4below the rst- References Cited in the ijle of this patent UN-IITED STATES PATENTS 1,436,256 Hmmelfarb Nov. 2l, 1922 1,444,465 Wagemaker Feb. 6, i923 1,790,235 Hovey Ian. 27, 1931 1,836,354- Abramsf v Dec. 15, 1931 1,929,892 Kellner Oct. l0, 1933 2,115,130 Thurn Apr. 26, 1938 2,182,962 Constantine et al. Dec. l2, 1939 2,241,053` Brightman May 6, 1941 2,285,363 Rund'ell lune 2", 1942 2,465,656 Morin 29, 1949 2,517,725 lSchweller Aug'. 8', 1959 2,58't',8'4`3 Edwards Ian'. 8, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 363,880 Great'rit'an Dec. 3'1, i931 

